The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-09-17
STORY OF A LAwN-MowsR
Why Deacon sharpley Has to Hire Man
to Cut His Grass.

TO Cut Ills NrdsS'
81 tell you what said suburban
friend of the Listener, as the street-car
conductor came around, bearing par
ticularly big and imposing bell-puncb,
"there's deacon in our church that
ought to be made to carry one OF those
things when he makes his collections,
if ever any body ought to be made tc
wear one"
"WhyP What has the deacon done?"
"T'll tell you the whole story, and
when I've done l want to know
whether, if it had occurred to you, it
wouldn't have decreased your conf
dence in somebody. You see, l live
next door to Deacon Sharpley.
and my yard is separated from
his just by light picket fence, l was
hacking away at the grass on my little
lawn the other night with a grass-hook;
was just finishing the job, and won
derin /, whether should ever be rich
enough to swell out with a lawn
mower, when the deacon came out and
leaned over the fence. See here,
said he, you're getting quite lawn
here, and so am |. We don't either of
us have quite enough business for
lawn-mower, but together we might
have. Say we go snucks on one| l
told him I thought it was u good idea,
and would go in with him on ma
chine. He said he would manage the
purchase, and would tell me how much
half the cost was. So l let him so on
and buy the lawn-mOwer, and he
brought receipted bill for $3.50 in
his own name. gave him the $6.25,
and left the machine and the receipt
in his hands.
about two weeks after that-Td
seen the deacon showing the lawn
mower around in his yard in great
style in the meantime-I thought my
grass had got up enough to warrant
cutting, and Invent over to the deacon :
to get the machine. The deacon was
out, they said, but the lawn mower was
down at Mr.. Smiths. | thought it was
a little queer that the deacon had lent
our machine, but | went down to
Smiths and got it. | thought they
looked little cross when / took it, but
/ took it just the same. and moved my
lawn. Next night the deacon came
and got it again, and moved away
a while in his back yard. A few days
after that | thought it was about time
to NOW once more, and went over to
the deacon's after the machine. No
machine anywhere around. / asked al
the back door:
"'Where's the lawn mowerp'
"'Mr Smith came and got it a little
while ago, said the deacon's daughter.
't1fr. Smith, What business had he
with our machine?" didn't ask, but
! trotted down to Smiths. | found
Smith very complacently oiling the
lawn mower, and apparently getting il
ready for action.
"'Well, said /, Il came over after
that lawn mower; but as you seem tc
be getting ready to usc'it, l suppose
can wait.
"'Hum, said hei Il guess the deacon
and l keep it pretty busy
$50 it seems, says |, kind of sarcas'
tically.
"'Well, we have got to get oul
moneys worth out of it, you know,
says he.
THAT struck me as a mighty queer
remark, and ! couldn't help saying, i
should think you'd want to own one
yourself.
"'Well, says he, looking up little
surprised Il own half of this one.
'You-yOa own half of his?' says l
astonished.
"'Why, certainly says he; Deacon
Sharpley and l bought this lawn mowe
together.
81 tell you, that took me completed,
down. The deacon had deliberatel,
played us of, one against the other
and had got me to pay for one-half tn,
machine, and Smith the other, calculat
ing to get the use of it to NOW all hi
own grass for nothing! If he had beer
as cautious as he was sharp, and KEEP
the machine in his own barn, or els
insisted on going after it himself, sup
, pose he might have kept going tina
, way. But since we've found it out
, Smith and getalong tlrst-rate, but tn
deacon has to hire an Irishman to NOV
his grass with scythc.
: "And that's the reason why thin
, the deacon ought to carry bell-punc
when he takes up a collection. Don
you think it would be good scheme?'
, Boston Transcript.
Only the Children.
I An,,licont-T have had OnSid ora III